Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN PARIS

arminfo
Tuesday, June 5, 15:51

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia together with the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will meet in Paris on June 18, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists in Baku on Tuesday.

“I will meet with Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian and co-chairs
in Paris on June 18,” Mammadyarov said.

Mammadyarov said the deaths of the people on the front-line have a
negative impact on the negotiation process on Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Unfortunately such incidents will not end until the conflict is
resolved. Therefore, we call on Armenia to begin work on a major
peace agreement,” Mammadyarov said.

He said at a meeting in Paris that Azerbaijan will try to explain the
Armenian side that the continuation of the status quo is unacceptable.

Mammadyarov said the Nagorno-Karabakh will also be the subject of
negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“We always knew that this topic is quite sensitive and the conflicting
parties and international mediators should find a way out of the
protracted conflict,” Mammadyarov said.

Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan also pins high hopes for the future
presidency of Ukraine in the OSCE.

RATE OF TOURISTS DROPPED BY 9%

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 11:27:42 – 05/06/2012

104,374 tourists visited Armenia in the first quarter of this year.

Their number has dropped by 9.0% compared with the past year. 120,050
people left the country for travels in the same period. This rate is
up by 1.9% year over year.

According to the National Statistical Service, 30% of tourists who
have visited Armenia this year are from the CIS countries, 35.5% from
the European Union. The number of Iranian tourists has dropped by 5.9%.

The government of Armenia is going to boost the number of tourists
traveling to Armenia up to 3 million annually by 2030. The number of
tourists visiting Armenia in 2011 was 757,935.

LA TURQUIE VA REGARDER LES RESULTATS DE VALERIE BOYER SELON DEVEDJIAN
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 5 juin 2012

L’ancien ministre, president du conseil general des Hauts-de-Seine
est venu hier a Marseille soutenir la candidate UMP aux legislatives.

Depôt de gerbe au Memorial du Genocide Armenien du 24 avril 1915 ;
visite du quartier de Beaumont sous le soleil et dans la chaleur,
puis reunion de campagne avec, dans la foulee, la projection du film
“Le marchand d’olives” qui pose la question de la manière dont est
percu le Genocide Armenien en Turquie : Valerie Boyer etait hier dans
son element.

Candidate a la deputation dans la 1ère circonscription des
Bouches-du-Rhône, a Marseille, cette deputee qui a porte la loi visant
a faire sanctionner ce qu’elle nomme “la negation du Genocide Armenien”
que la France a reconnu en 2001, entend poursuivre son combat. Elle
l’a dit hier devant une salle comble, lancant a l’assistance qui n’a
toujours pas pardonne aux sages du Conseil constitutionnel d’avoir
declare le texte vote non conforme a la Constitution : “Je vous promets
de ne pas lâcher le combat. Nous redemanderons que cette affaire
soit de nouveau portee devant le Parlement.” Une promesse saluee
par une ovation et encouragee par Jean-Claude Gaudin, Roland Blum,
Guy Tessier et Didier Parakian, qui auparavant a la tribune, avaient
tour a tour salue “le travail accompli et le courage” de Valerie Boyer.

Si Patrick Devedjian, ancien ministre, president du conseil general
des Hauts-de-Seine et lui aussi candidat aux legislatives, est venu
soutenir Valerie Boyer, “c’est parce qu’on lui doit une reconnaissance
forte. C’est aussi parce que mes parents ont foule pour la première
fois le sol de France a Marseille. Et puis je suis convaincu que
c’est dans cette ville que sont les racines de la reconnaissance
du Genocide. Tout a commence en 1973 lorsque la Turquie a demande
la destruction de l’eglise du Prado. Une insulte.” Suivent un long
propos historique, puis une diatribe “sur le negationnisme d’Etat”
mene par la Turquie.

Puis Patrick Devedjian de conclure : “Croyez-moi : la Turquie va
regarder les resultats de cette circonscription. Si Valerie Boyer
n’est pas elue, elle sera contente.” C’est clair, le vote des Francais
d’origine armenienne a du poids.

Jean-Luc CROZEL

LA COMMISSION EN CHARGE DU 100 AME ANNIVERSAIRE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN S’EST REUNIE A BUCAREST
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 5 juin 2012

L’Union armenienne de Bucarest a organise la session de la commission
locale pour la tenue des evenements commemoratifs consacres au 100ème
anniversaire du Genocide armenien.

Le meme jour, le Directeur de l’Institut-Musee du Genocide armenien
Hayk Demoyan a donne un cours a l’Universite de Bucarest.

Dans son intervention, hayk Demoyan a souligne que le Genocide
armenien n’est pas un fait du passe mais plutôt un fait dans le
present parce que les autorites Turques continuent a faire pression
sur l’Armenie, a intimider et poursuivre ceux qui sont en faveur de
la justice historique, de conduire une politique negationniste au
niveau international et d’insulter et de discrediter les descendants
des victimes du Genocide.

Hayk Demoyan et l’Ambassadeur de l’Armenie a la Roumanie, Hamlet
Gasparyan ont participe a l’ouverture du nouveau centre culturel
armenien de Bucarest.

TURQUIE : PAS DE GENOCIDE GREC PONTIQUE

Publie le : 06-06-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – ” La Turquie a condamne
la Grèce pour sa commemoration annuelle du genocide grec pontique,
affirmant que la ceremonie n’etait pas basee sur une realite historique
et qu’elle etait moralement problematique. ” Le Collectif VAN vous
livre la traduction d’un article en anglais paru sur le site Gibrahayer
le 26 mai 2012.

Gibrahayer

La Turquie condamne la Grèce qui commemore le genocide grec pontique

Hetq – 26 mai 2012 – La Turquie a condamne la Grèce pour sa
commemoration annuelle du genocide grec pontique, affirmant que la
ceremonie n’etait pas basee sur une realite historique et qu’elle
etait moralement problematique.

Le communique diffuse vendredi par le ministère turc des Affaires
etrangères indique : les activites qui ont encore une fois eu
lieu en Grèce cette annee, sous la bannière du pretendu “Jour
de Commemoration du Genocide grec pontique”, sont basees sur des
allegations incompatibles avec les faits historiques et sur une
approche non scientifique et ethiquement problematique. Nous condamnons
et rejetons ces activites et la mentalite sous-jacente. De telles
initiatives sapent les efforts pour ameliorer les relations et la
cooperation entre les peuples turc et grec.

©Traduction de l’anglais C.Gardon pour le Collectif VAN – 3 juin 2012 –
08:36 –

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Gibrahayer

170 LOUPS TUES EN 3 MOIS EN ARMENIE
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 6 juin 2012

170 loups ont ete tues par des chasseurs en Armenie cette annee selon
un plan du gouvernement qui donne 100000 drams a tous les chasseurs
tuant un loup.

Le gouvernement, citant les dangers pour le betail et les paysansa,
a donne son feu vert pour que 200 loups soient tues en 2012.

Ashot Avalyan, vice-chef du Personnel au Ministère de la Protection
de la Nature a dit que la plupart des 170 loups ont ete tues dans
les regions de Vayots Dzor, Aragatzotn et de la plaine Ararat.

Il a pretendu que seuls les loups qui s’approchent des villages et
du betail sont tues.

Silva Adamyan, qui travaille a l’Institut Zoologique et sert comme
coordonnateur pour l’ONG EcoAlliance, a dit qu’un tel programme
etait barbare et qu’il y a d’autres mesures pour empecher les loups
d’attaquer.

Elle a soutenu que c’est la perte de leur habitat qui force des loups
et les autres predateurs a s’approcher des villages et des fermes.

Silva Adamyan a dit que les troupeaux de betail peuvent etre mieux
proteges par l’installation de barrières et de fils sous tension
electrique.

ARMENIA AND TURKEY NOT INVOLVED IN NEGOTIATIONS – ARMENIAN FM INFORMS CLINTON AND MEDIA

news.am
June 04, 2012 | 21:18

YEREVAN. – No negotiations are running or run between Yerevan and
Ankara on normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations, Armenian FM Edward
Nalbandian said at a joint press conference with the U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton in Yerevan on Monday.

According to him, negotiations run earlier and ended up by signing
Armenian-Turkish protocols, which Turkey does not respect and does
not implement them, at the same time putting forward preconditions.

“I do not believe Turkey has the right to set preconditions for
normalizing bilateral relations. It should be realized without any
preconditions, this is the position of both Armenia and international
community and this is what [Secretary] Clinton has repeated for many
times,” Nalbandian stressed.

To note, protocols on normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey
were signed on October 10, 2009 in Zurich. However, the ratification of
protocols in both parliaments was suspended due to the unconstructive
position of Turkey, as the latter put forward preconditions after
signing the protocols.

CLINTON TO ASK BAKU ‘SERIOUS QUESTIONS’ [UPDATED]

Asbarez
Monday, June 4th, 2012

President Sarkisian meets with Secretary of State Clinton in Yerevan
on June 4

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
pledged that she will press Azerbaijan with “serious questions”
regarding the killing of three Armenian soldiers ahead of her visit
on Monday, reported panorama.am

Hours before her scheduled arrival in Yerevan, Azeri soldiers
violated the cease fire and killed three Armenian soldiers in the
Tavush district of Armenia.

“I was saddened to hear the latest news,” Clinton told a news
conference at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan, commenting on the
ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan recorded on Monday.

Clinton expressed concern over death of soldiers. “Force cannot
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, force must be ruled out.”

“I will visit Baku the day after tomorrow, and I have serious questions
to ask the Azerbaijani leader. Both me and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group are convinced that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be
resolved exclusively by peaceful means, and a way should be found in
this direction,” the senior U.S. official noted.

She called on the sides to refrain from use of force, because there
is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The only path for a solution is through the negotiating table,”
Clinton added.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian also spoke about the
cease fire violations at the press conference.

“I want to add on the first question that we strongly condemn the
violent provocations that are organized by the Azerbaijani side on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan border which, unfortunately, resulted in victims
and wounded, and that Azerbaijan is not satisfied by the fact that
every day there are violations by Azerbaijanis on the line of contact
of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh. They are trying to transfer the
tension, to sharpen the situation onto the border between Armenia and
Azerbaijan which greatly undermines the negotiation process, as well as
it is threatening the regional stability. The responsibility of all the
possible consequences of all this lies on Azerbaijan,” said Nalbandian.

Outraged at the latest cease-fire violation and the death of three
Armenian soldiers, Rep. Adam Schiff issued a statement urging Clinton
to condemn the attacks.

“This latest outrage by Azerbaijan’s military makes it even more
important that Secretary Clinton condemn these belligerent actions
during her visit to Baku later this week. Azerbaijani provocations
along the Line of Contact are a direct result of the war mongering
rhetoric of the Aliyev regime and they must cease. We should fully
apply Section 907 and prohibit the transfer of any arms or dual use
items to Azerbaijan,” said Schiff.

Nalbandian and Clinton were also asked about the Turkey-Armenia
protocols.

Clinton reiterated her position that the “ball is in Turkey’s court.”

“Negotiations are not conducted, negotiations cannot be conducted,
as the negotiations are over and they had resulted in signing of the
protocols, which Turkey refuses to respect and implement, trying to
put forward preconditions. Turkey has no right to put preconditions in
this issue. This position is shared by the international community,”
explained Nalbandian.

Clinton arrived in Armenia Monday afternoon and after a reception at
the US Embassy (see below) she met with President Serzh Sarkisian.

“Historic ties between the two nations, large Armenian community
of U.S. as well as the ideas of freedom, justice and democracy have
promoted establishment of good relations between the states,” Sarkisian
told Clinton, adding that in the 20 years of diplomatic relations
between the two countries, relations had been developing gradually.

In assessing the US role in the region, Sarkisian said bilateral
relation are built on the basis of mutual respect and confidence,
the presidential press service reported.

“I want once again thank the United States for assisting Armenia
during the last 20 years,” he said.

In her turn, Secretary Clinton noted it is honor to her to visit
Armenia in the year marking the 20th anniversary of diplomatic
relations between the states.

Clinton said that Washington greatly values its partnership with
Armenia, and continues to support the development and increasing
welfare of the Armenian people.

Clinton stressed that she, personally, and President Obama appreciate
contacts with Armenia and expect continuation of the dialogue. Clinton
added that she was well aware of how hard the president has worked
to find solutions to regional problems concerning Armenia.

Thus, the United States is committed to assist and support his ongoing
activities as an excellent leader, she emphasized.

Clinton Honors Rights Advocates Clinton, joined the U.S. Embassy,
Counterpart International, the British Embassy, the OSCE, and the
EU to honor individuals working to promote human rights, accountable
governance, and free speech in Armenia at the Universal Rights Awards
Ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. Secretary Clinton delivered
remarks at the event and met privately with the award recipients. The
Universal Rights Awards Ceremony was the first multi-mission initiative
to highlight the contributions of Armenia’s civil rights activists,
government officials, and media representatives to the promotion of
human rights.

Armenian government officials, foreign diplomats, NGO representatives,
and the press attended the event.

USAID/Armenia Mission Director, Jatinder Cheema, opened the ceremony
and awarded Artur Sakunts with the Freedom Defender Award. “Artur
defends all minorities, especially those that are the target of
intolerance, such as ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. He is
not afraid to take unpopular stances, working constantly for a more
tolerant Armenia,” said Director Cheema.

Counterpart International’s Chief of Party, Alex Sardar, presented
the Woman of Courage Award to Tsovinar Nazaryan for her military
reform efforts. “Tsovinar should be proud of her role in encouraging
the military to embrace reform, which will lead to a more modern,
effective, and humane force for Armenia,” Mr. Sardar said.

The British Ambassador to Armenia, Jonathan Aves, recognized the Deputy
Chief of Police, Major-General Artur Osikyan, for his contributions
to police reform, especially regarding improvements to the police
educational system. “Artur Osikyan has helped lay the foundation for
transparent and accountable police force that works for the citizens
of Armenia,” Ambassador Aves said.

Presenting the award for media excellence to the editors of Epress.am
– Sonya Apresova, Yuri Manvelyan, and Armen Melikbekyan – the Head
of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, commended
them for their fair and balanced coverage and commitment to human
rights reporting. Ambassador Sorokin stated, “Epress’s coverage of
human rights plays an important role in informing the public and
contributing to public debate. This type of reporting is an important
element in Armenia’s democratic transformation.”

The EU Head of Delegation to Armenia, Traian Hristea, awarded
environmental activists – Apres Zohrabyan, Yeghia Nersesyan,
Gor Hakobyan, Mary Khachatryan, and Ruzanna Grigoryan – for their
grassroots campaign to promote environmental conservation in Armenia.

“It is the commitment and perseverance of many civic activists that
led to important victories for the environment this year. With this
award, we would like not only to honor their work, but also to promote
their future efforts in Armenia,” said Ambassador Hristea.

MEMBER OF AZERBAIJANI DELEGATION: “ARMENIAN SIDE OFFERED THE PARTICIPATION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH IN THE MEETINGS AS A SIDE”

APA
June 4 2012
Azerbaijan

Moscow. Farid Akbarov – APA. “Armenian side has desire to hold such
meetings”, editor-in-chief of “Baku Post” newspaper Tofig Abbasov,
who participated in the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani mass
media managers, told journalists, APA reports.

According to him, such meetings must be held systematically: “There is
a good ground to hold exchange of view. In recent years, the members
of the parliament and ministries of the two countries paid mutual
visits. Such meetings create confidence to reduce tensions in the
societies. I hope that such meetings will be held systematically in
the future and the other media representatives will participate in the
discussions. The main issue is the format of the meetings. Armenian
side offered the participation of Nagorno Karabakh in the meetings as
a side, but we told them that the journalists from Nagorno Karabakh
can participate in the meetings if such meetings are held in Karabakh.”

POLAD BULBULOGHLU, AMBASSADOR OF AZERBAIJAN TO RUSSIA TALKS ABOUT THE MEETING BETWEEN AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN MASS MEDIA HEADS

APA
June 4 2012
Azerbaijan

Moscow. Farid Akbarov-APA. Polad Bulbuloghlu noted that the meeting
was conducted in normal environment, Moscow bureau of APA reports.

“Such meetings are important to establish relations between journalists
of 2 countries,” said Polad Bulbuloglu.

The ambassador noted that first Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations
were at “Moscow24” TV channel. Then journalists had a meeting at
the office of “Rossisyskaya Gazeta”(Russian Newspaper). Newspaper’s
Editor-in-chief Vladislav Fronin and Director General Pavel Negoitsa
also attended the meeting.

Pavel Negoitsa noted that “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” arranging such a
meeting for the 2nd time.

He mentioned that intellectuals of two countries had a meeting at the
editorial office of the newspaper. He expressed his satisfaction for
arranging such a meeting.

Polad Bulbuloghlu noted that Armenian ambassador to Russia showed
constructive stance at the meeting. “At today’s meeting Armenian
ambassador noted that the reason of the meeting is not to solve
poltical isues. He noted that today’s meeting serves establishing
relations between the sides”.

According to Azerbaijani ambassador at the meeting the sides expressed
their positions and views. “The common view was that journalism
should be patriotic but not with a tendency. State figures, peoples’
representatives should not be humiliated. Discussions should continue
within frame of normal journalism. The sides agreed to form a permanent
group for conducting meetings. It was noted that the meeting will work
in favor of strengthening relations. It was also noted that we live
in this region and nobody will leave this region,” said Ambassador
Polad Bulbuloghlu.